All credits goes to David Valleries for this Wonderful Post
1) Fail as fast as you can . This means you test, test, test all the time. You find what works faster by getting rid of your losers even faster. Want to succeed faster? Fail more often…
2) You don’t have to change who you are to make money. Some people say that you need to be more outgoing or you need to be controversial. Forgetaboutit. Just be yourself. I think people are afraid to make money because they think they will turn into something they are not. I have met millionaires who are real a**holes. But guess what? They were jerks before they made millions. I’ve also met millionaires who are the nicest people on earth. It’s not how much money you have, it’s WHO YOU ARE that counts. Money is something you make and have, it’s not who you are.
3) When you find something that works, keep doing it . But always watch the market for changes. The market does change and you need to adapt.
4) The biggest asset you have in business are your customers. It’s not your products, your websites, your building, your inventory or your computers or equipment – it’s your customers. I like my customers. They are good people and I think of them as friends. Qualify your customers. You’ll get better customers if you do and do everything you can to help them succeed.
5) Business is about more than money – it’s about lifestyle, family and fun . It’s a game played on a really big board. We play Monopoly, Risk, chess and some other games at our house. They are fun and they are competitive. I think games that teach strategy and are competitive are fun. If you’re not having fun in your business STOP! Life is too short to do something that you don’t like. Everyone needs to make money but it needs to be consistent with who you are as a person and your lifestyle.
6) No sales = no business. Period. Your business should focus on one thing and one thing only: Sales. I don’t care what your business is, there is no business unless someone gives you money for your product. People invest crazy money in businesses before they even know if they can sell the product. That’s wrong. See if you can sell the darn product before you invest money in the business.
7) Make decisions quickly. When you’ve got your business running and it’s bringing in cash profits decide what comes next. Growth does not necessarily mean more employees and more overhead. Instead it might mean increasing long-term customer value and new front-end business or even getting into or adding an entirely new business altogether. Don’t think in straight lines and decide what to do quickly. All great leaders were decisive.
8) Attack problems fast . Don’t let anything bother you so much that you can’t sleep at night because you’re thinking about it. Fix the problem as fast as possible. Not enough money? Do something today that will bring money in tomorrow. Technical problems? Research it until you find a solution – don’t give up until you find an acceptable one. And I mean do not sleep, eat or talk until you find a solution. People problems? Go talk to them now and dispassionately discuss the situation. Apologize if it’s the right thing to do or listen to their concerns and complaints. Just listening can diffuse a volatile situation before it gets worse. Anyway problem are meant to be solved and there is ALWAYS a solution. Maybe not a perfect solution, but a solution none the less.
9) Make money and don’t apologize for it . This gets people confused. They think that because they don’t have money, no one does and they feel guilty for for asking other people for it – even if they are providing tremendous value. Do people have money? Yes. People have money and they are constantly looking to spend it. Millions of people have bought something in the time it has taken you to read this. Do you think they even care who made a profit on that transaction? No. They got what they wanted and that’s all they really care about. People love to buy… they just don’t like to be sold. You want to know a secret to making millions of dollars? Be on the side of the transaction that makes a profit.
10) Don’t wait till you’re perfect . Get started now with what you got and get something going. I have these periods where I work like crazy for days and weeks on a project and it’s like I just drop off the face of the earth. I have a friend who tries to call or text me while I’m working on a project. I don’t answer him for days, sometimes weeks. He says to me, “I knew you were working on something”. He knows me. He understands me. Anyone else would have thought I was really rude. But it’s the way I work. I’m in my lab, experimenting and usually I come out with a great discovery, not always, but most of the time.
